Searching for TUNNELS on ADAK ISLAND's abandoned Bering Hill

[@chrisluckhardt]

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[@Tam_Eiki]

Thank you for sharing this footage of Bering Hill. I spent a lot of time there hanging out with friends, dancing at the EM club upstairs, working in the first Baskin Robbins (around 9:24 you filmed the ice cream freezers), and working downstairs as a volunteer for AFRTS (American Forces Radio and Television Services) as a radio disc jockey and TV camera operator/ master board operator... so many memories. It's so sad to see what it's become now. When I was there the bachelors officers quarters were down in the Upper Amulet area across the street from the high school. If I remember correctly, only enlisted barracks (Marine, Navy, and Sea Bees) were on the hill but that was 1978 - 1981. Oh! That area where Baskin Robbins was was called the Williwaw. When I was there McDonalds was a dream away. If you wanted hamburgers and fries, you went there. There was also a small pizza place off to the side. Sorry, memories came back. :)

[@chrisluckhardt]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing memories from your time on Adak! It's fantastic to be able to fill in more of the history of the base.

[@boscopit]

AFRTS is how I always knew how to change a tire. Hah. You remember the commercial about hypothermia with a guy dressed like a vampire? My brother and I still laugh about that.

[@Tam_Eiki]

@@boscopit Not sure if that was after my time but I don't recall that one. Sounds like it was funny though. Ever see The Adak Surfer commercial? I was one of the beach bunnies.

[@boscopit]

I do remember that one!!

[@jens468]

your channel is underrated af, hope the yt algorithm blesses you soon !

[@chrisluckhardt]

Thanks - appreciate the feedback! My space shuttle videos and a few others caught some attention but there are a lot of great videos out there for people to watch!

[@matterhaz2980]

Also how does this not have millions of views people live for this stuff not just me. Damn KZbin algorithms. Can't wait until your channel hits the right algorithm and blows up!! These videos need to be seen by everyone!

[@chrisluckhardt]

KZbin's algorithm works in mysterious ways. One of my videos related to the Soviet space shuttle program got picked up in the "algorithm stream" recently - maybe it will be of interest to you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2qrYYJjnN19ars

[@penguin44ca]

Love it when you just have ambient noise. No talking or music

[@chrisluckhardt]

Great, thanks! I'm only using music in recent videos for drone shots because the raw video doesn't have sound.

[@FlanylShirtman]

I used to live in that last building you showed. It wasn't for admin officers, all officers got regular housing. All of the buildings on Bering Hill were enlisted bachelor's quarters for E-6 and below.

[@chrisluckhardt]

I picked up that information from a marine who lived on Bering Hill. Maybe the building changed purposes at various times?

[@FlanylShirtman]

@@chrisluckhardt I worked in the bachelor's quarters division. Got there just before Clinton was inaugurated, and the draw down was announced. I was one of the last people to get the 18 month tour, then they changed the type of duty it was, and cut it down to a year. I left in June of 94 when the base draw down for the time was all done, and in those 18 months, I got to know those buildings pretty well. Didn't have much else to do. Between 94-97, they could have shifted the housing allocations around. There was plenty of room. I also saw your video on the Bering Building, where the movie theater is, and had to stop myself from commenting. Too many stories, but if you're interested, I could let you know what some of those spaces were, before and after the draw down.

[@chrisluckhardt]

Please share anything you can about your time on Adak! It will be a fantastic educational read for anyone interested in Adak's history.

[@rogerramsey5669]

Single Chiefs quarters were also on Bering Hill.

[@gregjohnstone610]

I worked as a journeyman carpenter for Aleutian Constructors building that barracks that you show from the 26:00 mark. Was there from 1989 - 1990 and also worked on the 3 huge fuel tanks for the P3 Orion sub hunters based there. I have some 8mm video of the construction that I transferred to DVD a while ago, can't believe it looks like that now. We spent weeks on the punch list for that building, fixing every little issue so that would be accepted by the Navy. Reeve Air Aleutian was the only airline service to Adak back then, I hear Alaska still flies there? Would like to take a trip back there someday, brings back a lot of memories....

[@dannooney504]

I was statined there 1982. Worked in navy exchange

[@bobpaulsen4385]

Thanks for sharing. I was stationed there from June 1974 to June 1975. Sad to see such ruins. It was a booming place back then.

[@chrisluckhardt]

Any stories you can share about your time on Adak?

[@JIMLAS65]

The Bering Theater was where I saw JAWS in 1975. Everyone jumped up in their seats when it was Ben Gardner time. Swam in that pool hundreds of times. Great childhood memories

[@chrisluckhardt]

I had no idea the theater and pool existed in the 70s! It must've been a state of the art theater in that era.

[@grzejnikMilosz]

It is so sad to see this all vandalised. It would be so cool for these buildings to be preserved as time capsule in better condition

[@chrisluckhardt]

The Navy has discussed reopening the base so maybe these buildings might be renovated and reused.

[@garyschultz7768]

The location is so remote I'm surprised vandalism occurred... Wouldn't you need a boat & knowledge of the waters & current weather to keep from getting killed. ?

[@matterhaz2980]

This stuff is truly of my dreams and what I constantly seek to find!! Sadly not much for Cold War history left in Canada haha. Ironically I am a corrections officer at a former Canadian airforce radar base that's now jail so that history is great to see everyday (what's left of it!) so glad I found this channel truly incredible I hope to get there someday!

[@chrisluckhardt]

So true - there isn't much remaining to explore in Canada's Cold War history. CFB Rivers is one place I explored 10 years ago but there wasn't much left behind.

[@kennethmcdonald5278]

73/74 , pwc wc20 remodeled the Bayview club those were the old barracks that you entered also contained the chowhall , saw alot of the early Clint Eastwood movies across the street in the theater spent a lot of time in the swimming pool downstairs , when I was there it was a 1yr. Assignment also spent the vast majority of my time at the horse stables clinton shut it down , wonder how much he got paid by the company that bought it in exchange for our national security?

[@chrisluckhardt]

Documents show it was the Reagan and Bush Sr administrations that instigated Adak’s decommissioning (and 350 total installations). The Cold War was over and the closures saved 12 billion per year.

[@boscopit]

It was done before Clinton. We lived in there from 90-92 and they were already talking about shutting it down.

[@boscopit]

Hung out there a lot. Lived on Adak from 90-92 ( You can see my house at 10:40). I saw Ninja Turtles the movie there and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Swam in the pool all the time and played Crime Fighters in the arcade (alcove on the left at 9:00) constantly. The area at the 10:00 was a pizza place. It opened while we were there.

[@chrisluckhardt]

The 10:40 timestamp you indicated for your house is that little shed? It really sounds like the best time to be on Adak was after the McDonald's opened in 1986, with so many mainland amenities appearing soon afterward.

[@Supercell725]

Very cool Chris

[@chrisluckhardt]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TimHicks-ws5ym]

You missed a set of tunnels that lead between the barracks and what you called the Administration Officers Barracks.

[@chrisluckhardt]

My flight back to Anchorage was leaving in an hour so, unfortunately, I had to stop filming. I could've stayed another couple of days with so much left to film!

[@ChadWalters-t1y]

Brings back a lot of memories! Thanks for sharing, I've thought about trying to go back there and explore the area!

[@elandriver6596]

I helped paint the Bering theater in spring of 71 CWO Varley and I were on top of some very shaky scaffolding scared stiff when a ensign standing flat footed on the floor said he hadn’t better see some enlisted man put his foot on wall. Mr Varley responded in his baritone “doesn’t have to be an enlisted man” the ensign quivered!

[@kevinclancy4532]

I was stationed at the Marine Barracks in 80-81 it was still new and luxurious by Marine standarda.

[@chrisluckhardt]

Amazing! Any interesting or funny stories you can share from your time on Adak?

[@Robert-ru3pg]

Nice picture on the hill. My shop beq maintenance was in the basemesnt. I was there 85to87

[@chrisluckhardt]

You left just a little after the McDonald's opened. Do you recall Adak's population at the time? It wasn't quite 6000 is my guess.

[@Robert-ru3pg]

Yes about 6 monts, I am saddened to see the destruction

[@Robert-ru3pg]

No I dont recall the pop. Sorry

[@3beardsandaboss641]

Was there two pools on the island ?

[@chrisluckhardt]

I only saw one - the underground pool in this video of Bering Hill.

[@kirkhensley5870]

The BERING THEATER! I saw Natural Born Killers there for the first time ever in that place! Both NAF and NSGA had the honor of Admiral "Mike" Boorda on that stage with the then MCPON! 1,000 memories are flooding into the brain....Friend of mine said he felt like he was in trouble when Gene Hackman said "Mr. Hunter, I'm the commander of this ship. Now shut the fuck up!" Crimson Tide with Denzel. That's what's up!

[@chrisluckhardt]

Natural Born Killers! I remember wondering what was shown at the theater while I was walking through it.

[@timhenderson6473]

Saw Conan the barbarian there in 85.we got it about six months after it was released on the mainland.the place was packed

[@driverjoelonghauler2881]

I know it’s old and abandoned, but I just don’t get the vandalism. That’s very sad. The Navy just walked away, with a little effort they could of salvaged or secured some of the facilities there. Waste. 🇨🇦🇺🇸🍺

[@chrisluckhardt]

The vandalism was caused by visiting hunters, fishermen, and other short-term visitors. I read a 2018 report that even some coast guard members were caught destroyed the new church and houses! I don’t understand why some people have such little regard for property they don’t own. As for the Navy, they wiped their hands clean of Adak during the land transfer deal with The Aleut Corporation in 2004. They cleaned up toxic waste but left everything else behind.

[@kennethmcdonald5278]

The Aleuts didn't want us there , they would assault military personnel at any opportunity, they could have utilized. Every one of those buildings , we need to open it back up with all that is going on with ccp. and ussr should have never closed it.

[@timsergent4380]

Been there

[@chrisluckhardt]

When?

[@timsergent4380]

@@chrisluckhardt 2015

[@garyschultz7768]

So how was sewage handled ?... did they use septic tanks ?...how big of a pollution site is this ?....the federal gov has a duty to restore this area & not leave it such an eyesore with potential health problems for the ecosystem...gd gov.

[@chrisluckhardt]

Adak has a city sewer system. It works fine as far I as saw and was told. And all the water in my host's rental house was potable. But I still boiled everything I drank anyway. The military cleaned up several sections of the former base, but I saw so much left behind. If you Google "adak cleanup" the first link is to a Superfund document with more details.

[@boscopit]

Adak was a cesspool of contamination. Across the street from our house down a hill was a small creek. One day my friend and I walked down there and it was neon green. They had dumped all the used antifreeze from the base vehicles into it. The creeks all had this weird orange tint and white foam in it. My dad said it was from JP5 jet fuel being dumped in the streams. The neighborhood across from the aforementioned creek was completely gone because all those houses were contaminated with chemicals and asbestos. It had been polluted since WWII at least.

[@Polo-Hat]

Thank you very much for Documenting the remains, But please I beg you do not Take anymore interior footage Of dark areas until you get a much better flashlight.

[@chrisluckhardt]

My light died and I was lucky to be able to borrow a pair of flashlights from my host. I think it adds a sort of Fallout style to the video. He thought it was weird that I asked for both flashlights but you can see why lol.

[@dannooney504]

I watched movies there

[@chrisluckhardt]

Do you remember any of the movies you saw?

[@walterquick8649]

I spy teenage boys and nothing to do??

[@chrisluckhardt]

The damage? It’s 25 years of neglect, extreme wind and rain, and several incidents of vandalism. Someone left a comment on one of my other videos detailing vandalism caused by summer clean-up crews before the final 2004 military withdrawal. More destruction was caused over the years, including a report about Coast Guard vandalism in 2018. Crazy!